The Price of Her Soul
by freifraufischer
Summary: BroTP Snow Queen. What if the Evil Queen found herself reaching out to her greatest enemies in the Enchanted Forest and starting to rebuild a family again, only to face a terrible choice between the lives of Snow White and her newborn child and the weight on her own soul. How could her family accept the betrayal of the Dark Curse after they thought they'd gotten her back.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This is a Charming-Mills Family fic, at the moment no romantic ships are planned except for Snow/Charming. The prologue takes place after the events of the 2.20 flashbacks._

* * *

 **Prologue:**

Snow White traveled for three days, catching very little sleep as she tried to put as much distance between not only her crazed stepmother but also anyone she might hurt to get at Snow. She needed more sleep than she was getting of course, but it wasn't just the imperative to get as far away as she could but also the images of those people, bodies dumped into a canyon. Not forgotten. If they had been that Regina wouldn't have had her wanted poster pinned to the bodies.

Her fault. And her fault for falling for another of the Queen's cruel games.

Finally she was sure that she had reached a safe enough distance that she could set up a new camp. She lay some traps to catch rabbit and sat down to restring her bow under the clear starry night. The manual labor of repairing her bow helped calm her mind and allowed her to stop thinking about Regina.

But the problem with trying not to think about the dragon is that guarantees that that is exactly what you will think about. Enough that when she went to check her traps to see if she could have meat for dinner she even thought she heard the voice.

"For a moment I believed." Snow stopped dead mid-stride frozen in fear. Hoping that it was her imagination. "For a moment I believed that there was still good in me. That if I just let go ... but it was the thought of a foolish girl."

"Regina." Snow said through gritted teeth as she turned around. There was the Queen, standing among the trees, no knights or horses in sight. "How did you find me."

"I don't know how might a powerful sorceress find one desperate girl?"

"You do fail at finding me on a regular basis." Snow reached for her belt and gripped the hunting knife she was going to use to kill any rabbits she'd caught.

Regina scowled for a moment, but there was no fireball or even a threat, "Did you mean it?"

"Mean what?"

"What you said before ..."

"Before we stumbled onto the mountain of innocents you'd slaughtered?" Snow said with a raised eyebrow. "How did you get so lost Regina? What made you like this?"

The Queen clenched a fist and Snow wondered if this was the night she died. But there was also something in Regina's eyes... were those tears?

"I meant it. Every word of it. Including wishing I had a feather bed. But you love hurting too much to stop, don't you Regina? You love being a martyr."

"Projection doesn't suit you, Snow."

"Evil never suited you, Regina, but you wear it like a silk cloak."

"This was pointless," Regina said with a growl. Snow clenched her teeth and wondered if this was the end. Regina raised her hand and Snow started to run. She didn't get far before glancing back sure the witch was following only to see the last tendrils of purple smoke.

Regina was gone. And she wondered if the Queen had ever even been there or if the entire encounter was the ravings of a sleep deprived mind.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: This chapter takes place after the flashbacks in 2.10 The Cricket Game and before the wedding in 1.01 the Pilot._

* * *

Snow couldn't stay in the great hall. A combination of last minute plans for her wedding and barely hidden anger at her decision to sentence the Queen to exile meant that there was no peace to be found in the cavernous castle. And perhaps years of sleeping rough had made it so that the silks and feather beds of the building didn't seem so natural to her.

The truth was all she wanted to do was cry. Not that she hadn't done some of that too since they sent Regina away into exile. She had saved Snow once and the debt was paid. She needed to forget everything she thought she knew about Regina because it was obviously so very wrong. David was at least being tactful enough not to share the 'I told you so' that he was obviously thinking. But the truth was that all Snow could think of was how many people had died for her naiveté.

There was a gust of wind and she shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.

"It was always impossible to get you to dress for the weather."

She jumped at the voice and turned, grabbing for the sword on her hip. Regina stood some distance away in the shadows and Snow wondered how long her stepmother hand been there.

"I told you that if you hurt anyone in my kingdom I would kill you, Regina."

She half drew the sword for emphasis. Unnervingly Regina just raised an eyebrow. "You can put away the overgrown knife Snow. I'm not here to hurt you."

"Only because you can't." Snow countered, thinking about calling the alarm out.

"A fair point," and for the first time in ages Snow saw Regina laugh.

For some reason that just made her madder. She thought of all those times that she'd tried to reach out to this woman. And this was just a game. "Spying on me again?"

"I don't need to spy to find you up here. It's routine. After dinner you always go up to the wall and look out. You shouldn't do that. Someone always wants a royal's head." Regina smiled and leaned in. "Or her heart."

"You are sick Regina."

"Perhaps I am." She didn't argue but ran her hand along the stone wall. "George's family had no sense of elegance. Rough stone..."

"You didn't come here to discuss architecture." Snow knew she should draw her weapon but also knew this was the sick ravings of a man woman who couldn't hurt her anyway.

"You saved my life." Regina said simply.

"And you saved mine once."

"Why?"

That was the question everyone downstairs wanted to know too. "I couldn't watch you die. A shame you so desperately wanted to watch me die."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "It wasn't that ..."

She stopped speaking and tilted her head to the side.

Snow was impatient though, "I can't wait for this justification."

"Shut up. There are men moving along the curtain wall. Not yours." Regina formed a ball of green magical energy in her hand and threw it into the air. It hung over the castle casting an eerie light over the towers and walls. And attracting attention below as Snow and Charming's men saw the Queen on the wall with Snow White. But Regina wasn't paying attention to that. The small raiding party was coming at them from both directions trapping the two women. "I told you that you were predictable."

Perhaps they were there to capture, but Regina saw the battle scarred face of the deposed King George and knew better. The old bastard raised a crossbow aiming not at Regina but at Snow. In a moment of instinct she didn't catch the bolt. She didn't fire magic at the would be assassins.

In that moment the Evil Queen, scourge of realms, threw herself in front of her greatest enemy to save her life. The crossbow bolt sunk into her chest, and Regina heard the rasping of the air escaping her long from the new and very unnatural hole. Along with the clash of swords as David and his men attacked George's raiding party and Snow drew her own sword standing cover over Regina shaking and worried and not wanting her own men to kill the wounded sorceress.

George and a few of his men slipped away and the rest were captured. David came over to stand over Snow as she was desperately holding on to Regina's hand as she was slipping in and out of consciousness.

"Stay with me Regina..."

David put a hand on Snow's shoulder, "I never thought the two of them would continue this madness after we bound her magic so she couldn't hurt you again."

Snow shook her head, "You don't understand... she wasn't here with them... she ... David if she hadn't been here I'd be dead."

There was a small little smile on Regina's face. "Don't worry Charming. You'll get what you want..." Her voice weak and rasping, "George never met a cowards weapon he didn't love. The arrow was most certainly poisoned."

And with those words the Evil Queen passed out in Snow White's arms.


	3. Chapter 3

The Queen was brought into the royal suits nearest the Prince and Princess' chamber and laid in the large feather bed that once belonged to King George. Her frame was slight and her breathing a horrible rasping from the collapsed lung. Just her color confirmed her suspicions that the arrow had been poisoned, but they called the healers anyway who dressed her wound and gave the princess grave predictions. Days at most.

Snow refused to believe them. Nothing as petty or cowardly as an assassin's arrow could take down Regina.

The Blue Fairy was called and she came by the morning, cold and falsely concerned, she examined the wound, "The poison has already spread. The Evil Queen is strong but no one could be expected to survive this."

Snow shook her head, "There must be something you can do."

"There is, child, but that doesn't mean that I will do it. She is cloaked in darkness and a force for evil in this world. I will not intervene so she can continue to harm others."

"But I don't understand you stopped her execution," Snow said disbelievingly, moving to sit on the side of Regina's bed and pressing a cloth to her forehead to remove the sweet glistening there.

"You stopped the execution, Snow White, I stopped the arrows so that you would not spend the rest of your life regretting that you spoke too late. But that is not the same thing as saving Regina's life." The fairy flew over to look down at the queen. "Let her pass, Snow. For the good of your kingdom."

Snow shook her head. "My kingdom is not a better place by allowing her to die."

"Isn't it?" David said quietly, placing his hand on Snow's shoulder. "We still don't know why she was on the castle wall with you."

Snow looked up at him confused. "She was there because she was lost."

"I'll say." Grumpy commented from his position near the door, himself giving a frown towards the fairy who was studiously ignoring him.

"Regina has been lost for so long but ... I think she just needs help finding her way back home." She stood up, "And I'm going to find what she needs to survive this so she can get that chance."

She started towards the door, but David grabbed her arm, "Where are you going?"

"Lake Nostos."

"But Snow, Lake Nostos is dried up."

"I will comb the sands to find its last drops," she said firmly.

"Don't be silly, Snow." The rasping low voice made everyone in the room freeze. Regina's eyes fluttered a little, "There is no more water in that lake. A fool's errand."

"What does that matter, Regina, you already think me a fool."

"That's a given. But it's also a waste of time." Regina looked at the fairy, "Tell her."

The Blue Fairy looked annoyed at even the appearance of taking orders from the Evil Queen.

"By the time you road to the lake, even if you found water immediately, and road back the poison would have run its course."

"So you won't help and you are telling me I can't do anything either?"

There was a humorless laugh and everyone looked at the Queen in her bed who was smiling.

"What is so amusing?" Prince Charming asked, annoyed and unapologetic about that annoyance with the dying monster.

"For once, my dear Snow White, you get to learn what the rest of us have known about fairies. They only help those who serve their own needs. What she nor your husband want to tell you but I will, is that you personally would be better off to let me die."

"You are giving up?" Snow said incredulously.

"I am being realistic about my chances and I have no desire to spend my last days watching you play hero." Regina smiled though, "But I wouldn't be so smug you self righteous little moth. Just because you wish it I think I'll just not die."

David raised an eyebrow, "I wasn't aware one could avoid mortality by stubbornness."

But there was a small smile on his wife's face. "You don't know Regina very well."

"Shut up, Snow." Regina said with a sigh and closed her eyes again falling back into unconsciousness.

In the days that followed Regina's fever spiked and Snow had soldiers travel to the top of a nearby mountain to bring back ice in hopes of cooling her down. She stayed with the queen as long as she could but was pulled away by affairs of the kingdom. The thief Robin of Locksley was had raided a tax carriage and as much as Snow wanted to believe that the famous outlaw had honorable intent for the money the war with Regina and George left the kingdom strapped for gold and the possibility of a terrible winter coming and poor crop yields.

"I wish I'd paid more attention to what you tried to teach me as a teenager about ruling."

Regina shook her head, "No, you don't, I was trying to show you off as the spoiled brat you were." The queen groaned, still too weak to sit up or even to stay awake for long periods of time. "Though I might be sure you are really dealing with the right thief. Unless you are a lot more efficient than I would guess you aren't likely taxing the people at a rate that would draw his attention. But you do have enemies who have an interest in driving the kingdom into the ground."

Snow raised an eyebrow, "You for one."

"True, but I'm suffering through your care giving so believe I have a good alibi."

"Maybe." Snow said with a wink. "George you think?"

"Or maybe Locksley is not as discerning as they say. You are after all the rich and as long as he's giving to someone poorer than you it probably doesn't matter."

"I'll keep that in mind," Snow looked down at her. "You better be alive when I get back."

"I'd hate for my death to inconvenience you, Snow." Snow rolled her eyes, but just as she was about to leave. "Why are you doing this?" The question was softer, less sharp, than a lot of Regina's words to Snow.

"You saved my life."

"Reflex."

Snow smiled. "I am doing this because I believe in you."

"You haven't always."

"You don't make it easy," Snow said with a smile. "But perhaps there is a nobility in the struggle. To believe and to help you believe that you can be a good woman again."

"Go catch your thief, Snow."

Regina closed her eyes again and Snow grinned knowing that she'd won the exchange.

Snow was gone for a day and a night before Regina woke again. She'd already lived longer than the healers thought she should. Snow had said Regina didn't know how to stop fighting and perhaps she was right. But she was still weak and largely without her magic. So when the figure crept into the room and picked up a pillow she didn't have the concentration to summon the magic she needed to deal with the threat.

"You really have learned how to be a royal, shepherd. Smothering is one way to kill without getting blood on the silk."

He stopped cold, clearly not expecting her to be awake and froze.

She smiled. "Don't let me stop you. You had worked up the bravery to murder me and all."

"It's not murder to let you die."

"But that's not quite what you are doing is it, Charming?" Regina challenged. "You came in here to commit a murder. At least have the courage of your convictions."

"I can't let you continue to terrorize the kingdom and to hurt Snow."

Regina raised an eyebrow, "I can't hurt Snow, or have you forgotten your undoubtedly short sighted deal with the Dark One?"

"You ... she'll never be able to live her life with the power you hold on her heart."

Regina shook her head, "Put down the pillow, sheep boy, you may fit your brother's clothing but you don't have his heart. Or lack of one."

With all her strength she turned onto her side, away from him, and David put down the pillow.

The Queen had been right.

Demon she might be but he couldn't kill a defenseless woman.


End file.
